Big Tom

Address: 2F., No. 233-2, Zhongzheng Road, Danshui

Telephone: (02) 2626-1622

Hours: ?

Price: $

  So over the holiday I wanted to get out of the city a little bit. I went to Danshui (not too far out there on the red line) and ate at one of my favorite cafes. Danshui is known for its delicious street food and there's a lot of fantastic cuisine around every bend. When you've had your share of chòu dòufu and want to sit somewhere to take it all in, I recommend Big Tom's cafe.

What Big Tom lacks in number, it makes up for in location. There aren't many of these cafes around the island, but what little there are are in high traffic locations i.e. Taipei 101 observatory, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. The one in Danshui is a cozy little affair that occupies the second and third story of a building right on the waterfront. The view is absolutely breath-taking at sunset and it's a good opportunity to snag some scenery photos.

The day I went to Danshui happened to be a little chilly and overcast, so I decided to order a hot brown sugar caramel latte ($85 NT) and a fresh waffle with maple syrup ($90 NT). The latte came first and was topped off with the customary foam. On top of the foam was a thin layer of brown sugar. Absolutely divine! I liked that the brown sugar wasn't just dumped into the latte. You had the option of stirring it in or waiting for it to dissolve, thereby controlling the sweetness of the latte (a little).

I tend to forget that there are some places in the world that take the word "latte" seriously. In Italian the word "latte" means "milk", so if you order a latte in Italy you will not be getting a cup of coffee with milk. At Big Tom, a brown sugar caramel latte is essentially a shot of espresso with a lot of steamed milk and foam. Regardless of its coffee to milk ratio, the drink is delicious and I definitely wasn't disappointed!

The waffle, piping hot and dusted with chocolate powder, arrived shortly after my latte. Let it be known that this cafe has the best service of almost any cafe I've been to in Taipei. The servers are friendly, quick, and have a good attention to detail. I've never been kept waiting more than a couple minutes for anything at any time of day.

 The waffle didn't come with butter, but there was a small dollop of whipped cream on the side (and an edible, chocolate "Big Tom Ice Cream" wafer). The waffle is typical of Taiwanese waffles. It has a cake-like consistency and isn't as fluffy or light as an American style waffle. This being said, I enjoyed my afternoon tea meal. It was the perfect thing to combat a cold, grey day. I wish it had been a little warmer and then I would've been in the mood to sample some of their ice cream flavors!

Big Tom offers a variety of flavors like cookies and cream, marionberry cheesecake, Oregon wild strawberry, banana walnut, and green tea. Two scoops (in a waffle bowl, I believe?) are $198 NT, and pints are $320 NT. They also sell floats, sundaes, bagels, and ice cream making classes (subject to location). 

The staff is fabulous and the menu is in English and Chinese. I've never had to use the restroom in this location and, that being said, I'm not sure where they would have room to put one. This is going to be my last post for the next week as I have quite the work week in front of me! If you want to know more about Big Tom, check out their website.

Swensen's

Address: No. 109號, Section 4, Rén'ài Road, Daan District

Telephone: (02) 2772-6174

Hours: 24 hours

Price: $$

Well a little researching could have saved me from making this mistake. As I've mentioned, it's Chinese New Year week so many of the places I want to review are closed until Friday or Saturday. In the meantime I decided to review an American chain restaurant I've seen a couple times. Swensen's is an old-fashioned San Franciscan restaurant that serves shakes, root beer floats, cheeseburgers, and other classic American dishes.

 The interior is a little reminiscent of an Applebee's with the dark color scheme and classic Tiffany-esque chandeliers. I like that the seating mainly comprised of booths, not tables. This restaurant is smaller than I was expecting, and I noticed several parties of three or more waiting in the lobby. I researched Swensen's online menu to get an idea of what would be served, how much it would cost, etc. The website is simply swensens.com so instantly I knew it would probably prove less than helpful. In Taipei, Swensen's serves everything from steak to curry to pasta to tuna melts to fish and chips. There are four types of burgers, three types of melts, and two types of curry, so the choices under a particular heading are sparse. 

I ordered a chocolate milkshake ($199 NT) and thought that the waiter would come back for my food order. Seeing him wait beside my table, I told him I didn't know what I wanted. He said that that was okay and he would just wait for me to make up my mind. I'm not really good at deciding what I want to eat with members of the wait staff standing over me and waiting for me to make up my mind. I hastily pointed at something in the direction of the sandwich section and gave him my menu.

My meal arrived sans milkshake. I thought that maybe it would be served as my dessert, but it arrived a little while later. I wished the milkshake was served as an appetizer or as a regular beverage that comes before a meal, but to each his own. Also, I had apparently ordered a mushroom burger ($280, "set menu" $420 NT). Fine by me. The burger was definitely American-sized and looked delicious!

The first thing I noticed about the plate was a surprising lack of potato wedges. Are they rationing them out? I had exactly eleven wedges which was a little disappointing. The burger itself was okay. The bun was by far the most memorable part of the dish! It was lightly buttered and toasted, perfectly fluffy, and served as an additional "condiment carrier" for the chives, grated cheese, and sour cream. I can't really explain this burger, so I've made a list of pros and cons. Pros: fresh lettuce, toasted bun, melted swiss cheese. Cons: soggy-beyond-recognition tomato, lukewarm burger, unexpected presence of chives, sour cream, and grated cheese. In Swensen's defense, perhaps the chives, sour cream, and grated cheese WERE mentioned on the menu and, in my haste, I didn't see this. 

As I was eating, I noticed many diners had ordered the "set menu" of practically all dishes. The set menu differs slightly depending on what you're ordering but for the sandwiches, "International Favorites" (like Hungarian goulash and fish and chips), and curry, the set menu includes a beverage, soup, salad, main entree, and a dessert. Maybe this is why I had eleven potato wedges? 

Anyway, the chocolate milkshake was delicious! It wasn't too watery or milky and tasted like a good ol' Swensen's chocolate milkshake. Swensen's Taipei has an ice cream bar, but the flavors have changed to reflect Asian preferences. For example, there's no cookie dough, macadamia, Rocky Road, cantaloupe, Wild Mountain blackberry, bubblegum, almond praline delight, etc. but there are red bean, yam (taro), Japanese green tea, lychee sherbet, and Brandy Bordeaux cherry flavors. I like that Swensen's has "Taiwanese" flavors of ice cream but was too full to sample any of them.

Will I be coming back to Swensen's? Sadly no. If I need an American food fix, I'll head over to the Diner or Carnegie's. Fun side note; as I ate, I couldn't help but notice Jay Z was rapping in the background. It was such a weird juxtaposition to be sitting in a Swensen's and listening to "Niggas In Paris". Okay, maybe "Paris" wasn't playing, but still. 

I'm not sure how well individual staff members speak English, but the menu is in English, so just point if all else fails. There's a 10% service charge and there's a $100 NT per person minimum. If you want to know more about Swensen's locations in Taiwan, check out the international website at http://www.swensens.com/

Donna Caffe

Address: Lane 170, Section 4, Zhōngxiào East Rd

Telephone: not provided

Hours: Mon 10am to 9pm, Tues - Fri 1pm to 11pm, Sat 10am to 12am, Sun 10am to 8pm

Price: $$

UPDATE: Donna Caffe is now closed. The Papa Gio next door bought them out and now Donna is an "overflow" restaurant. Such a shame!

Since it's Chinese New Year and a lot of places remain closed, I went to the Dunhua area (yes, again) to see what was open. Surprisingly, a familiar little cafe/bistro was open ... and packed with people. Donna Caffe is a cute European place right next to the German Town restaurant. There isn't always such a big crowd, but with only a few restaurants open during the holidays, there was a five minute wait for a table. Also, because I've reviewed this cafe before (see 'Ginjer'), I'll include pictures from both visits.

Donna Caffe has relatively simplistic and modern decor. A few paintings, an orange accent wall, and beautiful bouquets everywhere (there's even one in the restroom), make this cafe welcoming and tastefully decorated. I like Donna because it isn't gimmicky like some of the other cafes and restaurants in the area. German Town, for example, is a garish caricature of a "German" restaurant complete with cuckoo clocks, marionettes, nutcrackers, a gingerbread house, paintings of Neuschwanstein Castle, and probably the remains of the Kaiser. Donna isn't trying to sell the European atmosphere; they're just trying to sell good food.

 Bright and cheery, Donna is a good place to come for a cup of tea or coffee. Also, there's isn't a rule about outside food or drink. ... Or maybe there is and I just haven't been reprimanded yet?

 The menu is relatively light in comparison to other cafes in the area and offers sandwiches, "royal Austrian pancakes", "salty fried cakes", and desserts. Everything on the menu is reasonably priced for the area with the Buckwheat sandwich at $95 NT and the Bomb sandwich at $85 NT.

While the menu isn't really in English (there's no English explanation as to what a "Bomb" or a "Buckwheat" sandwich consists), there are some photos. Since there are only three or four different variations on an item (four types of sandwiches, three types of "salty fried cakes", seven types of Austrian pancakes), you can discern (to a certain extent), what you'll be ordering. On this occasion, I ordered lavender tea ($160 NT). And when reviewing the Ginjer cupcakes, I ordered rose tea ($160 NT).

Rose tea

Lavender tea

Firstly, the rose tea was one of the best I've ever had. The taste was light, delicate, (and dare I say?) flowery, and the rosebuds in the sachet were pretty to look at and smelled wonderfully. The lavender tea was a darker, more crisp tea with a mint aftertaste. It too, smelled powerfully of its namesake though a sachet full of lavender isn't as wonderful to behold as a sachet of roses ... just my opinion. For my meal, I chose the "Coffee Cream Brulee Royal Austrian Pancake" ($180 NT). To those of you who think I mean "creme brulee", I probably do, however that's not what the menu had printed.

While there are several variations to this dish (vanilla caramel, dark chocolate, seasonal fruits, assorted nuts) it isn't quite apparent to those either unfamiliar with Austrian pancakes or to those who cannot read Chinese what's really going on here. The title names of the dish (vanilla caramel, coffee cream brulee) refer to the thin, inner layer of the pancake (read: these are stuffed pancakes). On a plate with ice cream, some fruits, chocolate syrup, and a disconcertingly tasteless cube thing, the Austrian pancakes are actually quite delightful. Lightly dusted with powdered sugar, these pancakes are fluffy yet satisfying. At first I was a little concerned at the absence of butter or maple syrup, but quickly came to the conclusion that butter, syrup, and creme brulee filling would probably be overkill. 

The fruit portion was extremely sparse; there was only one not-really-ripe strawberry and a slice of cantaloupe. A little disappointment there. The scoop of chocolate ice cream that accompanied the pancakes was actually filled with pistachios! It was a good addition to the dish as it broke up the sweetness. Sweet, stuffed pancakes + chocolate syrup + ice cream = too much sweetness! When the ice cream melted, the pancake became this chocolate, creme brulee mash of deliciousness. The next item on the plate remains a mystery. As you can see in the photo above, the coffee colored cube looks innocuous enough. And it was. That's the weird part. It didn't really taste of anything, though perhaps there was a slight coffee flavor? Whatever it was, it was frozen prior to being served as it suffered from freezer burn. Also, it was gelatinous. Nothing wrong with that, but a tasteless, vaguely gelatinous, colorless cube concerns me. Not quite sure why.

As previously mentioned, there are bouquets of white lilies, carnations, roses, and azaleas throughout the cafe. It is especially pleasant when you walk around to the dessert case, the restroom, the wine cabinet and suddenly catch a whiff of a well-placed bouquet. 

The desserts are modestly priced. The passion fruit mousse, strawberry mousse, chocolate cake, Boston cream pie, tiramisu, and mango belige cake are all $80 NT, while the handmade cookies are around $25 or $55 NT. I can't review any of the desserts unfortunately, but since there's a dessert set menu, I may go back with this in mind. In addition, I've never had the wine, nor do I know how much it costs. Such a useless reviewer!

Donna Caffe has a wonderful staff, fluent in several languages. Pick one, four at most. And though there's a 10% service charge, somehow my bill doesn't add up. I ordered the coffee cream brulee pancake ($180 NT) and the lavender tea ($160 NT) which should come to $340 NT without the 10%. I was charged $290, then $29 was added for the service fee and I owed $319 NT. I'm not complaining but I am a little perplexed. Maybe the pancakes come with a pot of tea? 

Though Donna Caffe does not currently have a website, you can visit their Facebook page for better directions.

The Diner

Address: ATT 4 Fun Building, No. 12 Song Shou Rd (台北市信義區松壽路12號1樓)

Telephone: (02) 7737-5055

Hours: 9am to 3am

Price: $$

  Oh the Diner. One of the first places I ate in Taipei, the Diner was a humble restaurant off of Ruian Street. While the original remains unchanged, the Diner has really taken off and opened two additional restaurants, one in the ATT 4 Fun building by Taipei 101 and one off of Dunhua South Road by the Shangri-La Far Eastern Plaza and Carnegie's. The atmosphere in the three restaurants differ and I think it's a cute way to differentiate one from the other and pick a favorite. Today I visited the ATT 4 Fun location for some good ol' fashioned American brunch.

As per usual, the place was packed! I wasn't able to sit upstairs at the bar or at a personal table, so I made due with the small seating area downstairs. I believe this is the newest of the Diner's and the ambiance is modern rustic? Does that make sense? Well anyway, it's tastefully decorated with a muted color scheme. The choice of artwork on the walls and use of corrugated metal differentiate this locale with the other two Diner locations.

 Now, I had originally come into the Diner thinking I'd be having a pancake brunch. Wrong. There are simply too many delicious things on the lunch menu. First, the drink menu. What isn't on the drink menu? There are milkshakes (small $160 NT, large $180 NT) in a variety of flavors like Chunky Monkey and Nutella Marshmallow, hot chocolate (regular $70 NT, with marshmallows $100 NT), fruit yogurt drinks ($120 NT), and then there's your standard juice, milk, imported sodas, smoothies, coffee, tea, etc. Alcoholic beverages are the basic Heineken, Corona, Budweiser ($100 NT), Bloody Mary's ($180 NT), and if I'm not mistaken they have Mimosa's and alcoholic milkshakes, though I wasn't looking for these and can't confirm if they're on the menu. After much debate, I chose the hot chocolate with marshmallows. The marshmallows have chocolate syrup drizzled on them and if you let them sit in the hot chocolate long enough, they're almost gooey enough to remind you of that one time you went camping. The hot chocolate itself is relatively standard. It's good, but nothing too memorable. 

 Deciding on a main course was extremely difficult (as always). There are sandwiches, burgers, pancakes (AMERICAN style pancakes), french toast, classic breakfasts, five variations on Eggs Benedict, salads the size of a small alpine mountain, steak, macaroni and cheese, chicken alfredo, and the list goes on (seriously, nachos, quesadillas, cheese fries, chicken wings, etc, etc.). Whilst reading all of this, I decided to try the California burger ($320 NT) which consisted of beef, "white cheese", and avocado. The Diner also has mushroom cheeseburgers, Aloha burgers (with bacon and grilled pineapple), chicken burgers, garden burgers, and (get this!) a Velveeta burger that has Velveeta cheese smushed into the hamburger patty! There is nothing if not variety in this eatery. The price for a burger with your choice of a side (french fries, sweet potato fries, coleslaw, or mashed potatoes) ranges from $170 NT to $330 NT. 

My California burger arrived promptly and it was Absolutely Delicious. This burger is pure Americana. Close your eyes and you could be in one of those swanky Vegas burger joints, this burger is that good. The bun is something to be savored in and of itself. The Diner apparently gets all of their bread from a bread artisan overseas and the proof is in the pudding ... or bun. The hamburger meat was perfectly cooked to my specification of medium rare, the cheese hot and melted, the avocado fresh and ripe. The vegetables to the side were also fresh, crisp, delicious. The french fries leave a little something to be desired though. They were room temperature when I received them and because of my close proximity to the door, they cooled quickly. They were your average french fries from your average restaurant. I would recommend trying the sweet potato fries or another side dish. 

Another fantastic thing about this burger is the sheer heft of it. In Taipei there are too many burger joints selling minuscule burgers. By minuscule I, of course, mean that the burger probably is less than 2,600 calories which, as we all know, is absolutely unacceptable. The Diner burgers are huge, enormous American affairs and for those Americans living here abroad, myself included, these burgers will remind you of home. 

As always, the staff speak both Chinese and English, and the English menu is very detailed with photos and explanations of ingredients used. By the cashier, there's a dessert case with pies, brownies, fresh fruit, and other pastries. I didn't see any prices, but I was much too full to contemplate dessert. While I'm a huge fan of the Diner, my one complaint is the lack of restrooms. In fact, there isn't one. You need to go outside, into the ATT 4 Fun building and find one. If memory serves me correctly, the other two Diner locations have restrooms, so this is just an issue with the ATT Diner. 

Another helpful hint: There is always a crowd outside of every Diner location, but the original Diner on Renai Road seems a bit calmer. Try to go before the lunchtime rush (11:30am to 2pm) and before the dinnertime madness (5pm to 8pm). 

The Diner's website has better directions, but the English version of the website is outdated and largely inaccurate. You're better off copying and pasting the Chinese version into Google Translate. http://www.thediner.com.tw/

Elephant Cafe

Address: No. 1號, Lane 238, Section 1, Dūnhuà South Road, Daan District  Taipei City, 106
Telephone: (02) 8771-8370
Hours: Mon - Fri 12pm to 10pm, Sat - Sun 11am to 10pm
Price: $$

  This week I'm back in the Dunhua area and I'm switching things up a little bit by trying a friend's recommendation: Elephant Cafe. This time last year I was in Edinburgh's Elephant Cafe (shoulda done a review ...) and it didn't disappoint, so I hope this is a trend. Behind the Dunhua Sogo, this little cafe is tucked away in Lane 238 (don't blink or you might miss it!). 

With it's sliding glass doors, the restaurant can capitalize on the wonderful weather and the comfortable indoor seating. Though there isn't much in the way of outdoor seating, there are several tables and chairs (some are secluded from the street by huge potted plants) and an adorable little bar area. It's difficult to see in the picture below, but the outdoor bar looks out onto the street and offers about seven seats.

I loved the atmosphere in Elephant Cafe! I was immediately reminded of Cafeteria on Boston's Newbury Street and was quite pleased with the remarkable resemblance. Atmosphere aside, the menu offers a variety of beverage options including the basic Taiwan fare (coffee, tea) and the classic American fare (milkshakes, sodas). The variety of food on the menu isn't as great, but the prices are reasonable for the Dunhua area. Nachos, french fries, and other snack items are on the menu for less than $100 NT.

There are several brunch items on the menu including egg salad, tuna, and BLT sandwiches. For an extra $20 NT, you can substitute the toast for a bagel. I ordered the BLT sandwich ($180 NT, includes either tea or coffee), and was pleasantly surprised by a side order of tortilla chips AND french fries! The french fries were perfectly cooked; crispy on the outside, soft and potato-y (or is it potato-esque?) on the inside. While the french fries tasted homemade, the tortilla chips came straight from a bag, but hey, this is Taiwan. Homemade tortilla chips are definitely not what this island is known for.

The sandwich itself was delicious. I can't fault it for anything. While the "B" in the BLT wasn't the typical American-style cooked bacon, it was pork nonetheless and I actually enjoyed this modified version. There was a whole head of "L", but not really much "T". If you're craving a traditional American BLT this is not the place, but I highly recommend it if you want the next best thing. 

The menu is in Chinese and English and the staff speak both. Unfortunately, there's a 10% service charge. For most people this isn't a problem, but for those of you used to Taipei's "No tips, no tax" in most restaurants, this can come as slight shock. In addition, the beverage menu is extensive and for good reason! The drinks are delicious and if you order a meal that comes with coffee or tea, you can substitute your complementary beverage with a beverage of your choosing. Just subtract $50 NT from the cost of the other beverage. Last but not least, Elephant Cafe has a "No Outside Food or Drink" policy that I haven't really seen at many other restaurants. Not sure how heavily enforced this is.

To get a better idea of Elephant Cafe's location, please visit their Facebook page.